THOMASTON — The fire that destroyed the roof and walls on a Beechwood Street home was caused by a cigarette butt placed in a plastic serving bowl, which then ignited other butts and proceeded to burn through the deck, up the vinyl siding, into the attic and through the roof.

"The fire is considered accidental," said Thomaston Asst. Fire Chief Jamie Leo. "The bowl hadn't been cleaned out in a while, and with so many catching fire, it melted the plastic and ignited."

The bowl was apparently placed next to the outside wall on the house deck. The fire burned a hole in the deck, into the wall, and through the bathroom and into the attic.

Leo confirmed the cause of the fire just before noon today, May 6, after consulting with an investigator with the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal.

"People need to be cognizant and use an approved cigarette butt container, or use a metal container with water and sand," he said. "Do not put it next to the side of a house or around combustable material. Actively extinguish a cigarette."

He warned that grass fires have been ignited by careless tossing of cigarettes out the window.

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THOMASTON — A fire whose origin has yet to be officially determined left two Thomaston residents without a home May 4, and the roof and some walls over two apartments almost completely destroyed.

"Nobody got hurt," said Thomaston Fire Department Asst. Chief Jamie Leo, Sunday afternoon. Firefighters rescued one cat, while another one remained missing, and was thought to be outside. Other pets were saved when the tenants vacated the burning building.

He said firefighters are almost certain the fire was accidental; however, an investigator with the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal will be in Thomaston Monday morning to help confirm the evidence.

"There are a couple different items we're looking to rule out before going with what's obvious," said Leo. "We're confident it's not suspicious, but then again, we've been fooled before."

The fire broke out at 296 Beechwood St. in Thomaston around 7:25 p.m. May 4, on the outside wall of a raised ranch house that had been converted to two apartments approximately five years ago. The house, owned by Brian Barnes, was formerly home to the Busy Bee Daycare but had since been converted back to a dwelling. Leo said the house was probably 10-12 years old, and was considered a light-frame construction whose roof trusses and walls were consumed quickly and throughly by flames.

The upstairs apartment tenant was home when she noticed the ceiling was on fire, said Leo. She thought it was in the ceiling fan, but when she looked out the window, she saw the entire back wall on fire. She called 911 and notified the downstairs tenant. He vacated his apartment with his dog and cat.

When firefighters arrived, fire was consuming the attic and roof of the building and sending flames and heavy smoke into the sky. The fire burned with such heat and intensity, it destroyed the master bedroom and bathroom, completely melting the shower and bathtub. 

"It burned the roof half away," said Leo.

Approximately 40 firefighters responded from Thomaston, Rockland, Owls Head, Warren, Cushing and South Thomaston. Because there was limited access to water, tanker trucks staged on Beechwood Street and ran water through hoses down the long driveway to the burning house.

Firefighters extinguished the fire quickly, within one half hour, said Leo, but then stayed at the scene until midnight, making sure flames did not break out again.

"It took a half-hour to get the majority of the fire knocked down and under control," he said. "But then we wanted to watch for hot spots, especially with the blown-in insulation in the attic, so that nothing smoldered and rekindled."

Firefighters rescued one cat in the bedroom, which had been hiding.

"They turned around and he was sitting on the dresser," said Leo. "He was fine, and one tough bird."

Damage to some of the tenants' belongings were minimal, although the structure itself suffered. The tenants are currently staying with friends in the area, said Leo.

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By Melinda Polky

THOMASTON — Area fire departments from Thomaston, Cushing, Owls Head, Rockland, South Thomaston and Warren converged on a house fire at 296 Beechwood St. in Thomaston Saturdat night, as heavy smoke and flames burst through the attic just after 7 p.m. The house sits back from the road down a long driveway.

The building had been home to the Busy Bee Daycare business.

Heavy smoke could be seen through the trees, but fire police closed public access to the driveway for safety reasons, as trucks and tankers arrrived at the scene and as fire hoses snaked down the driveway from the road. Beechwood Street has been closed to traffic while firefighters and trucks navigate the road.

The call to 911 was made just before 7:30 p.m. May 4. As of 8:45 p.m. the fire was extinguished, although water was still being pumped down to the scene and firefighters continued to work on hot spots.

South Thomaston and Warren firefighters were shuttling water to fill the dump tank, while Rockland was taking water from the dump tank to the scene. Water was being pumped from the road down the driveway to the Thomaston truck at the daycare.

Today, May 4, is International Firefighters Day.

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Melinda Polky can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com.